This resonates with me. Not sure I'd say "bucketloads", but having few exceptions instead of many doesn't always make it easier to remember. I'm not sure what is better for game play/tactics and such, but after you said this I agree keeping modifiers to one "type" is a positive simplification. I hope I get into Beta to try it so I can get a feel of cost/reward to gameplay of this rules switch.

I don't need the themed enforced harder or softer necessarily, I would like them enforced "better" in the sense of using a mechanic that we know hasn't already failed once.
I'm not against this. If it can be put into a form that is clear and concise it seems like it would be an improvement. I'm sure there are other ideas out there as well just waiting to be discovered.

I agree! I think the forcing of Keyword symmetry would bring more varied, and thus, more interesting crews to the table. My problem is that the mechanic the Beta is currently trying to use to enforce it is the same one they just got done saying didn't work well (flat +1 SS to bring in)

Ok this got me thinking. So we don't like the merc option cause at +1 SS they were in waaaaaaay too many lists that had nothing to do with their theme, or no one was using that option at all.
Now, we have basically the same mechanic by Keyword in the Faction, if out of theme pay +1 SS to bring them in. So... ... ... how is that going to be different this time around? Is it ok if Joss (or whatever happens to be strong at the time) shows up with Raspy, Marcus, Colette, Sandeep, Hoffman, Mei and Ironsides all the time but something Howard never does? It just feels like we're going to get in the same spot by using the same mechanic, which is apparently a bad thing to according to the Head Dev.

Just getting this off my chest, and this is completely my bias opinion. But I was really hoping the Master shake up would have went something like this instead of what was announced.
Renamed Arcanists and Outcasts
added a new Faction
kept all Masters ideally
dropped dual Faction completely, cause balancing between two Factions never really seemed to work before for most Masters anyway
Put the Master list down to 6 in each Faction cause (IMO) there doesn't really need to be 8 play styles in a single Faction anyway, and it creates room to grow
Still made room for a few new Masters, but not as many as were announced.
Guild
Resser
NB
Union
Outlaw
10T
Gremlin
Other (needs new name but don't want to confuse with old Outcast)
Perdita Ortega
Nicodem(?)
Lilith(?)
Ramos(?)
Parker Barrows
Misaki Katanaka
Somer
Collodi(?)
Lady Justice
Douglas McMourning
Titania
Sandeep Desai
Leopold Von Schill
Shenlong
Mah
Rasputina
Sonnia Criid
Molly Squidpiddge
Pandora
Toni Ironsides
Viktoria Chambers
Jakob Lynch
Ophelia
Leveticus
Nellie Cochrane
Seamus
Dreamer
Anasalea Kaeris
Tara
Asami Tanaka
Wong
Marcus
Lucius Mattheson
Reva Cortinas
Zoraida
Colette Du Bois
Zipp
Yan Lo
Ulix
Hamelin
Charles Hoffman
Kirai Ankoku
New Master
New Master
Lucas McCabe
Mei Feng
Brewmaster
Jack Daw
Steal Yan Lo if Nico
is still dead?
Steal Marcus apparently?
Steal Mei or Hoffman
instead of getting a new?
Steal McCabe if someone steals from 10T first?
trade in Zoraida for Marcus if Zoriada is not welcome under Titania?
Whoo, now that I got that out I feel better, thank you. Feel free to comment or ignore me as you see fit.

Considering the example card on the announcement page is Marcus oriented and says CHIMERA with no mention of BEAST, I'd say you are correct
*suddenly really glad I didn't start buying all the beasts for Marcus yet

Sure, but in that case I at least would still prefer it be by the other keywords. Ideally, again based on M2e experiences so maybe something drastic will change in M3e and I'll walk this back, it should be by the modal name or SS cost in one of the corners so that as I sort though my stack of dozens (at least) of cards when building crews I can gather all the information I need from the edges rather than pulling each card fully out.

I have in general problems with the current card setup. The Faction symbol, for example, is right up front and center and large. In M2e the only more useless piece of information on a card after the game starts other than the Faction symbol is the copyright, because it doesn't affect play ever in any way once you have the crew hired.